Tag: inter-species friends

Inter-species friends are my favorite, favorite thing in the whole wide world. Animals playing with different animals! This thrills me to my core and I become like a six-year-old girl whenever I see an example of this, the most glorious feature of life on planet Earth.

I recently watched the 1988 film adaptation of “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” (featuring a rakish Daniel Day-Lewis and a perfect Juliette Binoche). The couple, Tomas and Tereza, adopt a puppy (played by a totally charming Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen) and name her Karenin, after the novel they were reading when they first met. After the Soviets invade Prague, Tomas, Tereza, and Karenin flee to a farm in the Czech countryside, where Karenin befriends the farmer’s beloved pig, Mefisto. The scenes of Karenin and Mefisto just lounging together in the grass, the dog lovingly sniffling the pig… ah! My favorite. I wish I could find a screenshot to share with you. (M.C., I kept thinking about you and your canines in film project! This could be one for your review.)

Does your dog have a friend from another species? (Excepting yourself, of course.) In the examples I’ve seen of dogs and cats living together peaceably, it seems that the cat is most definitely the overlord and the dog understands his or her place as the humble serf. And maybe “friendship” is too generous a term there, but coexistence is still heartwarming between a pair so often painted as eternal enemies. I really, really hope our future dog makes some inter-species friends, although this seems less likely with a German shepherd, who seem to want to chase and strangle most things that move…

Musings aside, here are some more examples of inter-species snorgling, because I can’t help myself! Dogs, being friends with other animals, as featured on the matchless Cute Overload:

Wonder Dog. Read this incredible story of a golden retriever who transforms the life a boy with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The more I get to know them, the more I think that goldens were born to do this kind of work. I kind of teared up, a lot, reading this story. (New York Times Magazine)

42 St. Bernards. I don’t know how one gets 42 St. Bernards in a glorious, mossy wood with a beautiful blond child, but I like it. (Paw Nation)

She Doesn’t Answer the Phone. E.B. White’s funny letter in response to city complaints that his dachshund, Minnie, was unlicensed. (Letters of Note)

The Nannies. I love these photos of this farm’s Anatolian shepherds, who act as the sheep guardians. The tenderness between the dog and the lamb is so palpable. I am such a sucker for anything even close to inter-species friends; it’s pretty much my favorite thing on earth. (Alta-Pete Farm Tails)

The Problem with Packs. Why the “pack mentality” for dogs is increasingly out of vogue. If we’re not pack leaders, then, what do we call ourselves? Pet parents? I like this blogger’s suggestion of being a “camp counselor” for her dogs. (Fearful Dogs’ Blog)

Horse and Dog Play Together Beautifully. This is so sweet and heartwarming. Inter-species friends are probably my all-time favorite phenomenon, and these two look like they may be Best Friends Forever. (Pawesome)

Concerns about Unleashed Dogs. Karen London reflects on how we, as a community, should respond to this ever-growing social issue. Even though I’m always tempted myself to take a well-behaved dog off leash, I know I shouldn’t if it means that people with aggressive or untrained dogs can do the same. (The Bark blog)

The Evolution of Barking. Why did domestic dogs start barking? Here’s a summary of recent research on the topic, which I find quite interesting. Part of this research was briefly discussed in “Dogs Decoded.” (The Bark blog)

When Internet Memes Collide. Inter-species friends! That is one adorable and tolerant sheltie, to play so well with that squalling–but evidently delighted–infant. (Pawesome)

Polar Bear Befriends Dog. More inter-species friends! This blog should be proof enough that nothing delights me as much as YouTube videos of creatures from different species playing together. (The Premium Pet Blog)

To Barney’s New Family. A touching letter from a popular mommy blogger to her Scottish terrier’s new family. She made the wise decision to surrender the dog after determining that he did not fit well with their family and that she could no longer adequately care for him. It’s a heart-wrenching decision, but it happens so often, especially among young families with babies and poorly trained dogs. (Nat the Fat Rat)

Cousin. Famous blogger Heather Armstrong snaps a photo of a dog in Bangladesh, who accurately displays the prototype of the ancestral domestic dog. (Dooce)

Spay, Neuter Programs Are Paying Off. This year, fewer than 4 million dogs and cats will be euthanized, down from nearly 20 million in the 1970s. Let’s keep up that decline! (Ohmidog!)